Charlton Athletic vs Ipswich TownSaturday 29th October 2022 - 3pm Kick-OffReferee: Josh SmithIntroductionAnyone who has seen our season thus far shouldn't be overly surprised by our last result and performance - A run of five games, and a season undefeated at the Valley came crashing down on Tuesday night, with bottom of the table side: Milton Keynes running out 2-0 victors... Our inability to beat anyone lower than 12th in the table, looks like it could become our Achilles heal this season - Well it wont be surprising if the visit of Ipswich Town on Saturday creates fear amongst our supporters, given their position in the league table - However our own performances against superior opposition this season, and we may well surprise, and frustrate our fans with another positive result.
The OppositionName: Ipswich Town (2nd) | Manager: Kieran McKennaGround: Portman RoadPrevious Result: Port Vale 2-3 Ipswich TownIpswich were naturally the subject of many a joke on CharltonLife last season, their impressive spending combined with the hiring of experienced Manager: Paul Cook led many to believe that they'd be run away Champions - An inability to find the right formula though, meant that the Tractor Boys finished just two places above the Addicks, albeit separated by eleven points... Proof that throwing money at a problem isn't always the best solution.
Paul Cook unsurprisingly failed to last the season with Ipswich, and was replaced by Kieran McKenna - Stepping into his first Managerial role; McKenna had so far spent his coaching career with the Youth Teams at Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, he was tempted from Carrington in December of last year and Ipswich haven't looked back since, they've lost such six games (two this term) in his tenure which commenced not long after an extremely lacklustre display at the Valley last season... Their display on the final day of last season, running out 4-0 winners over the Addicks, in a nothing game, was perhaps a sign of things to expect this season, and McKenna's men haven't disappointed.
This term has unsurprisingly seen more of the same from Ipswich, as said they've just two defeats, one on the road @ Plymouth, and one recently at home against Lincoln City, so they do have weaknesses that can be exploited - With the second best attack, and second best defence though... Any chances that come our way on Saturday afternoon cannot be wasted, we shouldnt expect to get many.
Charlton Team NewsThere was a lot of head scratching amongst Addicks fans at 6:45pm on Tuesday evening when the line-up was announced against Milton Keynes - Steven Sessegnon was of course dropped, with Sean Clare coming into the side (there was perhaps even more head scratching when Clare was given the Man of the Match award post-game), it of course left us unbalanced down the left hand side, and unnecessarily disrupted a defence which had finally started to mould itself into a proper organised unit.
Ben Garner spoke after the game saying that Sessegnon was rested so should now return to the side... However the defence will have another difference in it this coming Saturday; Ryan Inniss will once again be absent having earnt his marching orders against Milton Keynes, picking up his fourth suspension in just 41-appearances for the Addicks!!
Wollacott
Egbo - O'Connell - Thomas - Sessegnon
Rak-Sakyi - Dobson - Fraser - Blackett-Taylor
Stockley - Kirk
Substitutes Bench: MacGillivray - Clare - Lavelle - Payne - McGrandes - Morgan - Aneke
Comments
1-3 defeat and the tedium of being utter shit continues as the scum and palace chortle at our wankness
Green day playing Ramones Blitzkrieg Bop... perfect for Hey! Ho! Egbo!
1.Just need the rest of the lyrics
2.oh yeh and he has to score
re-"free" ticket I posted about for MK dons......well it seems I spent one of my sons 3 ticket bargain offer by the club! How can that happen?
He was good on Tue, despite Clare.
3-1 win Stockley, CBT and Chuks
Still so many unanswered questions arising from the abject misery and heartbreaking disappointment of Tuesday night. How could we look so purposeful the previous Monday and then be so limp?
How could Clare be our best player (along with Dobson, of course) at the start of the season and then play so badly? And who in their right mind thought he was a left-back or man of the match?
And why in God's name do we have to be tortured by that painful heavy metal recording of a grizzly bear giving birth to a breeze block before kick off? It's enough to deter the most ardent supporter.
And how many games will we have to play before either of our front two strike partnership takes a shot at goal?
And how sparsely populated does the east stand need to be to get a pint served within 20 minutes?
Bought four tickets for this game in a mad rush of optimism after the Pompey performance and very much wish I hadn't.
0-3
I don't really know why, because I had been half expecting to be outpassed by a better passing side who had been doing it for much longer and had it down to a fine art.
They basically did a job on us with the 4-5-1, sitting back and inviting us to expose our limitations and of course we duly obliged.
Clare at left-back took Square-pegism to an absurd extreme and added to our perennial square peg Stockley.
They missed a couple of sitters and then got the rub of the green with the pen.
Innis was overdue an injury set-back anyway, so found another outlet for his latest mini-break.
We missed CBT I think, although TC put in a valiant effort he looks just a promising kid, a little too easily brushed off the ball.
Anyway, maybe the reason I'm so down is that MK showed the blueprint for any arguably less talented side to beat us and it looked too bloody simple.
Ipswich of course are a completely different kettle of fish.
Perhaps we will make a better fist of it, I really don't know anymore.
I'm thinking it'll be Ipswich to nick a tight, competitive game 0-1
1. if Chucks has only 30 minutes in him, then let’s use it at the start and try and go in front, rather than using him to try and salvage a point.
Unless they haven't done their homework. In which case they may be in a spot of bother.
They just need to sit tight and wait for us to cough up the chances
It cant get much worse than that MK Dons defeat (jinxed it now!)
Its clear we can build up momentum but game management (Coaches and players) needs to be sharper as teams seem to suss us out way too quick.
I know that Innis had a shocker on Tuesday, but it is a shame that there will be an enforced change at the back. I am not sure if Garner will risk Thomas to make a first start in a game like this, so think Lavelle is a more likely starter. The rest of the team more or less picks itself. I think Campbell deserves a place on the bench after his display on Tuesday, possibly another start if CBT is not fully fit.
That bench won't put the fear of God into Ipswich will it? McGrandles and Morgan - hardly game changers are they?
Head says draw at best, but heart says we will put in another storming display and win this. I think it will be closer than Pompey, so going for a nervy 2-1 win.
Bringing in Sean Clare needn't have been a problem either.
Sticking him on the left in spite of his rotten performances there this season was always hard to justify.
Given that Mandela Egbo is actually a fullback, moving him to the left to accommodate Clare's inadequacy has to have been worth a try.
Sticking with the lopsided fullbacks when it was glaringly obvious that Clare was stinking up the place, was the work of an arrogant dullard.
But that's Garner's dominant characteristic isn't it? Despite the evidence of his and our eyes, he is a zealot for sticking rigidly to players on their 'wrong' sides.
He also clearly thinks there is actual value in possession statistics.
Tuesday's enforced substitution, our threadbare squad and 45 minutes being bossed by that awful MK side demanded pragmatism from Garner - he failed.
He maintained the impotent shape and tactics plus he moved Kirk, JRS and Payne to positions where they have all consistently failed to contribute. Inexplicable.
Inniss's first yellow and subsequent mental collapse demanded action from Garner - he declined and threw the game as a direct result.
I fear they'll be going in to their toughest test yet with both hands tied behind their backs and half of them with their laces tied together.
Neither Lavelle or Thomas are likely to be as valuable aerially in either box as Inniss - on the plus side Thomas might not be as inept with the ball at his feet as Ryan.
Garner's moronic adhesion to his favoured theories will see us hamstrung from capitalising on such possession as we may have.
Ipswich have won 5 times away from home already this season.
Many hold hope that their relative adventure will provide openings for Charlton - even if that's the case the players will need to be in positions from which they can positively influence the game, not constantly having to turn infield away from space to accommodate their limitations. We do not have players with the abilities of say Mahrez or Sterling to overcome their innate 'sidedness'.
Garner is pathologically averse to playing to his squad's strengths - or at least playing to mitigate their weaknesses - clumsy defenders pissing around at the back as the visitors press ever higher; wingers never crossing from their natural side, only ever turning into congested middles.
Garner will probably line up thus:
(reading right to left)
Wollacott
Egbo, Thomas, O'Connell, Sessegnon
Payne, Dobbo, Fraser, Kirk
JRS
Stockers
From what he has available it should be
Wollacott
Egbo, Thomas, O'Connell, Sessegnon
Clare, Dobbo, Fraser, JRS
Kirk
Stockers
With CBT as the attacking option on the bench for Clare, after him Payne can provide energy and Campbell provides promise, A&Eke could be good for 15 or 20 minutes.
JFC will be locked up in the monetary mendacity, poor sod.
2)&3) yes please
A result like vs Derby is the best we can hope for ie perversely against the run of play and the all the stats